On the Bookshelf: September

Last year, I started recording all the books I read. It’s a simple system: I write a list with the month name as the header, and I put one star by really good books, and two stars by outstanding books. It was so fun to see what books I read over the course of the year, so this year, I’ve been doing it again. 2018 has been a pretty good reading year. By the end of September, I had given 29 single-star awards, and six double-stars. September itself earned four of the single stars (two were books I’m reading with the kids: Tuck Everlasting and Across Five Aprils; the other two are below.) Sharing the September highlights here.

The Queen of Hearts, by Kimmery Martin. This funny medical novel has soul. I enjoyed the portrayal of the two main characters and their families, and the tone was light and sassy. (I think it may have had one or two racy parts that I skipped–I honestly don’t remember…) I thought about Stephen King’s advice in On Writing to write about your work, because people love reading about other people’s work. Kimmery Martin did that; she’s a doctor/author, which makes it so much more fun to read.

A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Bachman. I am probably the last person to read this best-seller, but I just got to it. It’s fresh and funny, the characters are wonderful, the writing is unusual but it works. I heard Tom Hanks is starring (and producing) this as a movie next year; can’t wait to see it.

Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen. This one didn’t earn a star, but it was good and did capture my attention. A man who lost his wife stumbles into the “backyard” forest of a girl who lost her dad, and they help each other find their way. Olive, the pipe-smoking librarian, was my favorite character in the slightly magical, strange book. Worth the read, especially if you love trees. Be warned: I skipped the part about Amanda and Cliff. I recommend you do too. You’ll see it coming for sure.